Escalator



Aug. 16, 1938. P. DENNERLEIN ESCALATOR Filed Sept. 17, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. d an n um Aw I I am Aug. 16, 1938. P. DENNERLEIN 2,127,164

ESCALATOR Filed Sept. 17, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 16, 1938 PATENT OFFICE ESOALATOB Pill With, Btnttgart-Unterturhheim,

Ger-

many, aalignor to B. Stahl A. 0., Stuttgart, Germany am September 11, 1934 Serial No. 144,350 In Germany September 20, 193:

9 Claims. (Cl. 198-46) This invention relatesto improvements in escalators.

An object of the present invention resides in the provision of an escalator in which the individual step cars can be lightly built and made of light material.

An object of this invention is the provision of an escalator in which the chain wheels, at the points of reversal, are small and have a small diameter.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an escalator in which the step cars run on four rollers which are underneath the platform of the step when in normal position and in which no special guides besides the chain wheels need be provided at the points of reversal for guiding the rollers or step cars.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an escalator in which a lifting up of the individual step cars is definitely prevented.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of an escalator in which no special provisions for adjusting the length of the operating chains need be provided.

A further object of this invention is to provide an escalator in which means are provided on the circulating parts which assure a proper guiding of the step cars at the points of reversal and which make the apparatus independent of slight variations of the length of the operating chains.

An object of the present invention resides in the provision of an escalator in which the operating chains can freely move underneath the step platform.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an escalator in which ample space is available for placing the power plant inside the circulating chain.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an escalator in which the return path of the step cars can have any configuration and,

can be designed to suit local conditions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an escalator in which the platforms of the returning step cars are all in one plane and can be cleaned with brushes.

A furtherobject of this invention resides in the provision of an escalator in which stresses caused by the tension of the operation chain at points of change of direction of the chain and acting substantially perpendicular to the direction of the chain are definitely withheld from the step car structures.

Further and other chiects of the present vention will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims and shown in the drawings which, by way of illustration, show what I now consider to be a preferred embodiment of my invention. 5

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of an escalator according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of an individual step car taken along line 22 1( of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic, longitudinal rear view of a step according to my invention looking in the direction of arrow 3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic front view of a step 15 car according to my invention showing chains, counterrollers, and the support of the latter.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings: 4 represents the carrying chain which is connected to the front axles I9 01' the indi- 20 vidual step cars I. The front support rollers 2| of the step car, which are connected to the axles l9, run on the guide rails 9, and the rear support rollers I on the guide rail It. On the ascent of the escalator, guide rails 9 are located higher than guide rails it. The rails are in one plane and may be united into one rail on the return and the horizontal parts of the escalator. At the points of reversal, chain wheels l3 and II are provided. The upper wheel I3 is motor driven, for example, by means of a worm gear 20, an intermediary chain It, a gear I1, and a motor I. It must be noted that, with my improved escalator, there is sumicent room to locate the power plant inside the guide rails. According to my invention, the guide rails are interrupted at the points of reversal. The lower or descending rails may have straight ends i l and i 2, whereas the upper or ascending rails have curved ends it and 22. 40

An individual step car is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It comprises two substantially four-cornered side frames 22 and 24 and the platform 2. Front rollers 2i are mounted on an axle I! to which the chains 4 and 4" are movably connected. The chain links are provided with upright slots 2' for movably accommodating the axle It, as is apparent from Fig. 2. The rear rollers I are individually mounted to the side frames 23 and 24, and there is no part going across which might hinder the free movement of the chains 4. It must be noted that the rollers, particularly the front rollers to the axle of which the driving chain is connected, are located underneath the I platform which renders the structure compact ls ual step cars can be made of light material, since weight is not required for holding the cars down against a lifting eifect of the chains, as is possible with other escalator designs.

In order to hold the step cars to the chain and in correct position at the points of reversal, transverse members I may be mounted to the chains, the ends of which cooperate with noses 6 projecting from the side frames. In gradually turning into upright position at the lower point of reversal, the transverse members I disengage the noses 6; but, before this can happen, the rear rollers I engage the curvature 22 of the guide rails l0 which is provided for this purpose. Similar conditions prevail at the upper point of re-' versal where, upon the movement of the escalator in a descending direction, the curvature l8 catches the rear rollers at the moment the noses 6 disengage the transverse members I. It is obvious that, with the particular design of my step car, the chain wheels can be of small diameter at the points of reversal. My design further permits toarrange the guide rails, particularly the return rails, to suit any available space conditions and to provide plenty of room for 10- cating the driving motor and gears within the guide rails in contradistinction to other escalator constructions in which the motor is outside of the rails andrequires additional space.

Because of the provision of the members 1 cooperating with the noses 6, no adjusting means are required for exactly adjusting the length of the operating chain. A certain amount of lengthening of the chains, which is unavoidable in practical service, does not interfere with the reliable operation of my improved escalator.

It must be further noted that, with an escalator according to the present invention, the platforms of the returning, 1. e., hanging step cars are in one plane, and brushes 2! (Fig. 1) may be provided for cleaning the platforms. This is in contradistinction to other escalator designs in which the returning steps form a saw-like surface and can only be cleaned by expensive blower or vacuum plants.

At the point where the ascending part 0! the escalator changes over to the horizontal part, great pressure may be xerted by the chains on the step car axles, rollers, rails etc. This is particularly true and undesirable in escalators of large dimensions and for great elevations. At

these points, I provide a plurality of counterpressure rollers 28 which support the chain or chains and take up the undesirable pressure. The slots 2, which I mentioned before, in chains l prevent pressure vertical to the line'of the chain from being exerted on the axles IS in between the points where the chains are supported v structure 30. If necessary, the elevation of the axles 29 may be made adjustable. This may be accomplished by providing support pieces I! having flaps 32 through which the support bolts 35 extend. The support pieces 3| can be screwed to the steel structure 30 at lower or higher elevation by tightening up of nuts 36 at a suitable position. In Fig. 4, a cross section of the guide rails 8 is shown as are provided on the lower horizontal parts of the path of the step cars in order to prevent lifting up of the cars by the tension of the chains.

In order to assure noiseless operation, I propose making the counterpressure rollers not of steel but of some artificial pressed material, for

example, that known as Bakelite, fibre or the like.

While I believe the above described embodi ments of my invention to be preferred embodiments, I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of design and construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

l. Escalator comprising an endless chain travelling around a loop having a plurality of points where-the direction of travel is changed, steps movably attached to said chain and having lateral supporting. ends situated outside of said chain, transverse members connected with said chain and situated inside of said supporting ends, abutments connected with said steps and adapted to engage said transverse members when travelling around the points of change of direction of sald'chain and to thereby prevent that part of the steps to which said abutments are connected from swinging outside of said loop when travelling around the points 'of change of travel direction.

2. Escalator comprising an endless chain, a

plurality of individual step cars, each car having two pairs of support rollers, those two of said support rollers which are in the rear when the car travels upward having an axle in common extending across the car, said axle slidingly, movably extending through slots provided A in said chain.

3. Escalator comprising an endless carrier travelling around a loop having a plurality of points where the travel direction is changed,

steps movably attached to said carrier and having lateral supporting ends between which ends said carrier is situated, means connected to said,

around the points of change of travel direction.

4. Escalator comprising an endless carrier travelling around a loop having a plurality of points where the travel direction is changed.

steps movably attached to said carrier and having lateral supporting ends between which ends said carrier is situated, means connected to said carrier and situated inside of said supporting ends, means attached to said steps and being independent from and adapted to cooperate with said first mentioned means and to prevent that part of said steps to,which said second mentioned means are attached from swinging outside of said loop when travelling around the points of change of travel direction.

5. Escalator comprising an endless chain travelling around a plurality of chain wheels, steps movably attached to said chain and having lateral supporting ends between which ends said chain is situated, means connected to and laterally protruding from said chain and situated inside of said supporting ends, means attached to said steps and being independent from and adapted to cooperate with said first mentioned means when travelling around said chain wheels and to prevent that part of said steps to which said second mentioned means are attached from swinging outside of the pitch circle diameter of said chain wheels.

6. Escalator comprising an endless carrier, a plurality of individual step cars of substantially rectangular cross sectional configuration, said carrier being movably connected to said cars substantially at that one of the lower corners of the rectangle which is in the rear when the car travels upwards.

7. Escalator comprising an endless carrier, a plurality of individual step cars having a platform and being provided with a plurality of pairs of rollers located in a plane parallel to said platform, one pair of said rollersbeing connected with said carrier, means connected with said step cars, and members connected with said carrier and being adapted to engage said means and to prevent that part of said step cars to which said means are connected from being removed from said carrier at points where the travel direction of said carrier and cars is changed.

8. Escalator comprising an endless carrier, a plurality of individual step cars having a platform and being provided with a plurality of pairs of rollers located in a plane parallel to said platform, one pair of said rollers being connected with said carrier, means connected with said step cars and adjacent to another pair of said rollers, and members connected with said carrier and being adapted to engage said means and to prevent that part of said step cars to which said means are connected from being removed from said carrier at points where the travel direction of said carrier and cars is changed.

9. An escalator having an endless chain comprising links which have elongated openings, the longitudinal axis of which openings extends in a direction which is perpendicular to the travel direction of said chain, a plurality of step cars having members mounted thereon and extending through the openings insald links, whereby said step cars can move relatively tosaid chain in a direction which is perpendicular to the center lineof said .chain. p.

, PAUL DENNERLEIN. 

